Control system.



A. l. HALL.

CONTROL SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED MT. 9. WM.

1,244,492. 1 Patented Oct. 30,1917; 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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A. J. HALL.

CONTROL SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 9, 1914.

1,244,492. Patented Oct. 30, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

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; BY a g ATTORNEY STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR J. HALL, OF WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGHOUSEELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

CONTROL SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 30, 1917.

Application filed October 9, 1914. Serial No. 865,846.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ARTHUR J. HALL, a subject of the King of GreatBritain, and a resident of Wilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny andState of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement inControl Systems, of which the following is a specification.

' My invention relates to systems of control, and it has specialreference to systems of the unit-switch or contactor type that areadapted for the control of electric railway motors and the like.

One object of my invention is to provide, in a system of the aboveindicated character, a simple, reliable and efl'ective means forpreventing the making or breaking of control circults having the fullsupply-circuit voltage impressed thereon, at more than one point in thesystem, throughoutlthe operation thereof, thereby obtaining thewellknown advantages of relatively low-voltage operation.

Another object of my invention is to provlde means for efiecting areduction of the total operating current that is required in auxiliarycontrol systems of the type under consideration. I t

A further object of my invention is to provide an auxiliary controlsystem of the above-mentioned class that shall be readily adaptable foruse with various forms of the well-known K type of controllers, wherebythe system may be rapidly and inexpensively installed in connection withvarious modifications of railway control systems.

Heretofore, in railway control systems of the unit-switch or contactortype, various combinations of auxiliary controllers, control resistorsand magnet coils have been employed, all of which were open to theobjection of having several relatively highvoltage breaks, that is,several places in the controllers where the control circuits upon whichfull supply-circuit voltage were impressed were made and broken duringthe operation of the system. This condition required relatively heavyinsulation for the parts of the controller and also tended to increasethe liability to flash-over and caused rapid deterioration of thecontact -members.

. field magnet windin According to my present invention, therefore, Iprovide an auxiliary controlsystem comprising a master controller thathas only one break for the supply-circuit voltage, an auxiliarycontroller cooperating with a main-circuit controller to effect astep-by-step actuation thereof for accelerating the motor, a pluralityof actuating coils for the combined auxiliary and-main-circuitcontroller, a plurality of actuating coils for main-circuit switches,and a control resistor that is energized from the supply circuit andthat has certain sections respectively connected in parallel relationwith substantially all of said coils, whereby relatively low-voltagebreaks in the circuits of the coils are provided on both controllers,and a relatively low total operating current for the auxiliary controlsystem obtains.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of the maincircuits and control mechanism of a system of control embodying myinvention; Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the auxiliary controlcircuits for governing the manipulation of the main circuitsthat areshown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a simplified diagrammatic view of theauxiliary controlcircuits that are illustrated in Fig. 2.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawing, the system here shown comprises asuitable supply. circuit including conductors respectively markedTrolley and Ground, a plurality of electric motors respectively havingarmatures A and A and series-connected F and F; a maincircuit reversingswltch RS for reversing the electrical relations of the correspondingarmatures and field windings; an accelerating resistor AR; amain-circuit controlling device PK, of the well-known K controller type,with which is associated an auxiliary interlocking drum ID and a com-.

'troller MG that is adapted to assume a plurality of operative positionsa to z, inclusive; a master reverser MR a control resistor CR; aninterlocking drum ID; and actuating coils for the switches LS and LS thereversing switch RS and the main circuit controller PK.

The main-circuit reversing switch BS is preferably of a familiarelectrically-controlled type having a pair of magnet coils r and f forrespectively actuating the switch in the one or the other direction, inaccordance with the desired direction of rotation of the motors, thesaid magnet coils being suitably interlocked through contact membersland 2 of the reversing switch, in accordance with familiar practice. IThe main-circuit controller PK (Fig. 1) and the combined interlockingdrum ID are preferably of the well-known drum type and are mounted upona common shaft 3 having a pinion 4 secured to the one end thereof withwhich a suitable rack member 5 is adapted to mesh. The rack member 5 isprovided, "at its respective ends, with pistons 6 and 7 whichrespectively operate in suitable cylinders 8 and 9. Magnet valves 10 and11 are respectively associated with the cylinders 8 and 9 to control theadmission of fluid pressure thereto from a tank or reservoir T accordingto the energization of magnet coils 12 and 13 which are respectivelyadapted to control the magnet valves 10 and 11. The magnet valve 10 isnormally closed to connect the cylinder 8 to the at- .mosphere and willhereinafter be referred toas the on magnet valve; whereas the magnetvalve 11 'is normally open to admit fluid pressure from the tank T tothe cylinder 9 and will be hereinafter designated as the off magnetvalve.

Assuming the parts of the controller PK to occupy the positions shown,the operation'of the mechanism OM may be set forth as follows: In orderto actuate the controller to its successive operative positions, the onmagnet coil is first energized to admit fluid pressure to the outer faceof the piston 6, thereby effecting a balancing of premures upon the twopistons 6 and 7.- Upon the subsequent energization of the ofl' magnetcoils, fluid pressure is exhausted from the cylinder 9 behind the piston7, and the rack member 5 is actuated a predetermined amount to theright, as shown in the drawing, until the ofi' magnet is deenergized,whereupon the controller will remain in the position occupied at thatinstant. The alternate energization and deenergization of the off magnetcoil is automatically accomplished by the interlocking drum ID, as

' hereinafter more fully described. To effect a return of the controllerPK to its off position, the off and on magnet coils 5 are bothdeenergized, whereupon, fluid pressure is admitted to the cylinder 9 andis exhausted from the cylinder 8, thus effecting the actuation of therack member 5 to the position shown in the drawing. Inasmuch as themechanism just described forms no part of my present invention, exceptthat it performs a necessary function in the control system and is fullyset forth in my copending application, Serial No. 798,867, filed October23, 1913, it will not be further described here.

The master controller MC (Fig. 2) preferably embodies, in addition tothe usual type of stationary and cooperating movable contact members, asliding contact which comprises two semi-cylindrical members 14 ofinsulating material that are frictionally clamped around-the body of themaster controller in any suitable manner, (not shown) and a contactmember 15 that is adapted to make contact with the control fingers 16and 17, under normal conditions of operation of the controller. Thesliding contact is also provided with a plurality of projections or lugs18 and 19 which are preferably disposed a distance apart thatcorresponds to the distance between operating positions of the mastercontroller, and a cooperating pin or arm 20 is disposed upon thestationary portion of the controller. 1

The operation of the sliding contact, which also forms no part of mpresent invention, may be briefly set fort as follows:

If the master controller is moved to its first operative position a, thesliding contact is carried by the controller-body to a point where thecontact member 15 engages the control fingers 16and 17, whereupon thepin 20 engages the lug 19 and prevents further rotative movement of thesliding contact, which merely slips or slides around the inclosedportion of the master controller. However, upon a predetermined backwardmovement of the controller, the contact between the contact member 15and the control members 16 and 17 is immediately be found in theco-pending application of Norman W. Storer, Serial No. 774,394,filed'June 18, 1913, and assigned to the Westinghouse Electric & ManufacturingCompany, no further description is deemed necessary here.

For purposes of simplicity and clearness, the main circuits and theauxiliary control circuits of the system I have illustrated, are shownseparated and will also be discussed individually, the main circuitsbeing taken up first, and then the auxiliary control circuits forgoverning the manipulation of the main circuit connections will bepointed out.

Assuming that the main-circuit controller PK occupies the position ashown in Fig. l, and that the main-circuit reversin switch RS has beenmoved to its forward operating position, the operation of the maincircuits of the control system may be set forth as follows: i

A circuit is first established from the trolley through the connectingswitch OS, overload trip OT, main-circuit switches'LS and LS conductor21, control finger 22, contact segments 23 and 24 and control finger 25of the main-circuit controller, the accelerating resistor AR, conductor26, control fingers 27 and 28, which are bridged by a contact member 29,of the reversing switch RS, conductor 30, armature A conductor 31,control fingers 32 and 33, which are bridged by a contact member 34 ofthe reversing switch, conductor 35, field winding F conductor 36,control fingers 37 and 38, contact segments 39 and 40, and controlfinger 41 of the main-circuit controller, conductor 42, control fingers43 and 44, which are bridged by a contact member 45 of a reversingswitch, a conductor 46, the arma- 35 ture A conductor 47, controlfingers 48 and 49 which are bridged by a contact member 50 of thereversing switch, conductor 51, field windin F and conductor 52 to thenegative con uctor, ground.

As soon as the main-circuit controller is moved to its first operatingposition a by the operating mechanism OM, as hereinbefore set forth,another circuit is established from an energized contact segment 53 of45 the main-circuit controller, control finger 54,

a predetermined portion of the accelerating resistor AR and through themotors as before. One section of the accelerating resistor is thusshort-circuited to effect a pre- 59 determined acceleration of themotor, in accordance with familiar practice.

When the main-circuit controller is actuated to its next operativeposition b, an energized contact segment 53 engages a con- 55 trolfinger 54 thereby short-circuiting another section of the acceleratingresistor AR; and similar results are obtained by operation of thecontroller to its successive operating position 0'. and 0Z', which lastpo- 60 sition corresponds to straight series operation of the motors.

During transition of the motors from series to parallel relation, thecontrol finger 37. first engages a contact segment 55, whence circuit iscompleted through contact segment 56, control finger 57, and conductor58 to ground. One terminal of the motor having the armature A is thusconnected to the negative conductor. Substantially simultaneously withthe establishment of the circuits just described, the contact segments39 and 40 respectively become disengaged from the control fingers 38 and42, and another circuit is subsequently established from control finger41 through contact segments 59 and 60, and control finger 60, which isconnected to one end of the accelerating resistor AR. One terminal ofthe motor having the armature A is thus connected to the trolley througha portion of the accelerating resistor, and the motors occupy theirinitial parallel position, corresponding to position 6' of themain-circuit controller.

As soon as the main-circuit controller is moved to its position f, acontact segment 61 engages the control finger 54 therebyshort-circuiting a certain section of the accelerating resistor AR, onlya portion of which is employed during parallel operation of the motors,inasmuch as the control finger 25 becomes disengaged from the contactsegment 24 after the controller has passedits position a. The movementof the controller to its final operating positions g and It serves toshort-circuit the remaining sections of the auxiliary resistor AR and toaccelerate the motors to their final paralleloperating position.

The operation of the auxiliary control system illustrated in Fig. 2 maybe set forth as follows;

When the master controller is moved to its initial operating position a,the contact segment 15 of the sliding contact comes into engagement withthe control fingers 16 and 17, as hereinbefore described, and a circuitis first established from the trolley, through conductor 62, controlfingers 63 and 64, which are bridged by a Contact segment 65 of themaster controller, conductor 66, control finger 66 conductor 66", thecontrol resistor OR, conductor 67, and the on magnet coil to thenegative conductor, ground. Another circuit is thereupon establishedfrom an intermediate point of the control resistor through conductors 68and 69, control fingers 70 and 70*, which are initially bridged by acontact segment 70 of the interlock drum ID, conductor 71, the magnetcoils of the switches LS and LS conductor 72, auxiliary contact membersof the overload trip OT, conductor 73, contact segment 2 of thereversing switch RS, conductor 74, contact segment of the masterreverser MR in its forward position, conductor 76, control fingers 16and 17 which are bridged by the contact segment 15 of the slidingcontact, and conductor 77 to ground. The main circuit switches are thusclosed toconnect the motors to the supply circuit in their initialoperating condition.

The closure of the main circuit switches is maintained by reason of theparallel connection with theinterlock drum segment 7 0 of an interlockLS -in which bridges conductors 69 and 71 before the segment 70disengages the control fingers 7 0 and 70". It should be noted that thecircuit arrangement just described requires the return of the mastercontroller to its off position before the switches LS and LS can beagain closed, after they have been opened by the operation of theoverload trip OT or the sliding contact.

As soon as the master controller is moved to its next operating positionb, a circuit is completed from the control finger 64, through conductor66, control finger 66, contact segments 80 and 81, control finger 82,conductor 83, control finger 84 and contact segments 85, 86 and 87 andcontrol fin er 88 of the interlock drum, conductor 8 the off magnetcoil, and conductor 90 to a second intermediate point of the controlresistor CR. Both the on and off magnet coils being energized, themain-circuit con,- troller and the interlock drum are moved to theirinitial operating position (1.. Just be fore the interlock drum reachesthat position, the control finger 84 breaks contact with the segment 85,thereby deenergizing the OE magnet coil and causing the maincircuitcontroller to come to a stop at the position a. Another circuit issimultaneously established from contact segment 85, through contactsegment 91, which en ages control finger 92 in position a of the rum,conductor 93, control finger 94, and contact segment 95 of the mastercontroller when it has been moved to its next operating position 0. Theoff magnet coil is thus energized, and the main-circuit controller ismoved to its operating position b, whereupon the contact segment 91 andcontrol finger 92 becomes disengaged, and a contact segment 96 comesinto contact with a control finger 97, thus effecting anotherenergization of the off magnet coil, as soon as the master controller ismoved to its position (l to effect the engagement of control finger 98and a contact segment 99. The alternate energization and denergizationof the off magnet coil is thus automatically effected as themain-circuit controller and lnterlock drum are moved toward their finaloperating positions.

When the master controller is moved from position 6 to position I, toeffect the transition of the motors from series to parallel relation, ashereinbefore described, the contact segments 81, 95, and 99 firstrespectively disengage the control fingers 82, 94 and 98,

thus denergizing the off magnet coil, and

a circuit is then established from an enerized contact -se out 100,through control nger 101 of t e master controller, conductor 102, andcontrol finger 103, which engages contact segment 86 of the interlockdrum, whence circuit is completed through the oil magnet coil in themanner herembefore set forth. As the interlock drum approaches itsposition 6, the contact segment 86 disengages the control finger 103,and a contact segment 104 subsequently eugages the control finger 84 todenergize the coil. Similarly, the contact segment 104 and controlfinger 84 break contact, and a contact segment 105 engages the controlfinger 92 when the main-circuit controller is moved to its position 7.The controller is thus actuated step-by-step in the manner already setforth to its final operating position 7)., which corresponds tofull-parallel relation of the motors.

Referring particularly to Figs. 2 and 3, it will be noted that only onebreak, namely, that included by the control fingers 63 and 64 and thecontact segment 65 of the master controller, is provided for making andbreaking the auxiliary control system circuit as thema-ster controlleris moved to its first position from its off position and vice versa, allof the other magnet coils, with the exception of the Fon magnet coil,which is connected in series circuit relation with the control resistor,OR, being provided, at some point in their circuits, with a relativelylow-voltage break, either on the interlock drum ID or. on the mastercontroller MC. For example, if the normal supply-circuit voltage isassumed as 600 volts, the voltage on thesecoils may readily be kept downto 110 volts, with the consequent operating advantages.

It should be noted that forms of K controllers other than that which Ihave illustrated may readily be incorporated within a control systemembodying my invention by merely changing the development of the contactsegments on the master controller and the interlocking drum to fit thecase in question.

I do not wish to be restricted to the specific circuit connections orarrangement of parts herein set forth, as various modifications thereofmay be made within the spirit and scope of my invention. I, therefore,desire that only such limitations shall be imposed as are indicated inthe appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a system of control, a supply circuit, a plurality ofelectromagnetic coils and a resistor connected in series with one ofsaid coils to the supply circuit, and means for connecting the remainingcoils in shunt circuit around separate portions of said resistortoenergize said coils by a minimum amount of energy from the supplycircuit.

2..In a system of control, .the combination with a supply circuit, anelectric motor, a main-circuit controller for governing the operation ofsaid motor and two electromagnets for governing the operation of saidcontroller, of a resistor, a master controller for connecting saidresistor in series with the coil of one of said electromagnets to thesupply circuit, and means for connecting the coil of the secondelectroma et in shunt circuit to a portion of said reslstor, wherebysaid electromagnets may be operated by a minimum amount of current.

3. In a system of control, the combination with a supply circuit, amotor, a main controller for governing the operation of said motor, aline switch and a plurality of coils for operating said line switch andfor governing the operation of said controller, of a resistor connectedin series with one of said coils to the supply circuit, and means forshunting separate portions of said resistor for obtaining energy foroperating the remaining coils. v

4. In a system of control, the combination with a supply circuit havinga predetermined normal voltage, and an electric motor, of a plurality ofmotor-controlling switches and auxiliary controllers, a plurality ofactuating coils therefor, and a resistor adapted to be connected to saidsupply circuit and having separate portions thereof adapted to beshunted by said coils, said controllers comprising only one break forthe supply-circuit voltage and a plurality of relatively low-voltagebreaks in the circuit of substantially all of said actuating coils.

5. In a system of control, the combination with a supply circuit havinga predeterm1ned normal voltage, a plurality of accelerating resistors,and an electric motor, of an electrically-governed main-circuit drumcontroller for short-circuiting said resistors, an auxiliary controllerand a pneumatic device for cooperating with said maincircuit controllerto effect step-by-step actuation thereof, and a master controllercomprising only one break for the supply-circult voltage, the remainderof the breaks on both controllers being relatively lowvoltage breaks.

. 6. In a system of control, the combination with a supply-circuithaving a predetermined normal voltage, and an electric motor, of amain-circuit controller, two magnet coils for governing the operationthereof, a main-circuit switch, an actuating coil therefor, an auxiliarycontroller cooperating with said main-circuit controller to effect astepby-stepw-actuation thereof, a. resistor energized from the supplycircuit and a master controller comprising only one break for joiningthe resistor to the supply-circuit, one of said magnet coils beingconnected in series with said resistor, the second magnet coil beingadapted to be closed around a portion of said resistor and themain-switch coil being closed around another portion of said resistor,whereby a minimum amount of current is used in operating the system.

7. In a system of control, the combination with a supply circuit havinga predetermined normal voltage, and an electric motor, of a plurality ofmotor-controlling switches, and an auxiliary control system for saidmotor comprising a plurality of auxiliary controllers, a controlresistor, and a plurality of actuating coils for said switches andcontrollers, one of said coils being connected inseries with saidresistor and the remaining coils being connected in shunt circuit toseparate portions of said resistor.

8. In a system of control, the combination with a supply circuit havinga predetermined normal voltage, and an electric motor, of a plurality ofmotor-controlling switches and an auxiliary control system for saidmotor comprising a master' controller having one break for thesupply-circuit voltage, an auxiliary automatically-operated controller,a resistor energized from the supply circuit, and a plurality ofgoverning 0011s for said switches and said auxiliary controller that areconnected in parallel relation with certain sections of said resistorthrough said controllers, whereby-relatively low-voltage breaks insubstantially all of the coil circuits on both controllers are providedand a relatively low total operating current for said auxiliary systemobtains.

9. In a system of control, the combination with a supply-circuit having.a predetermined normal voltage, and an electric motor, of a main-circuitcontroller, a plurality of magnet coils for governing the operationthereof, a main circuit switch, an actuating coil therefor, an auxiliarycontroller co- .tor, of a main-circuit controller, a normally closed anda normally 0 en magnet valve adapted to effect clectrica ly-governedpneumatic operation of said controller, a, plu rality of main circuitswitches, a plurality ofactuating coils therefor an auxiliary controllercooperating with said main-circuit controller to effect a step-by-stepactuation thereof, a master controller comprising only one break for thesupply-circuit voltage,

and a resistor connected through said break to said supply circuit andin series relation with the coil of said normally closed magnet valve,said other coils being connected through said auxiliary and mastercontrollers in parallel relation with certain sections of said resistor,whereby relatively low-voltage breaks in the circuits of 15 those coilson both controllers are provided. In testimony whereof, I have hereuntosubscribed my name this 7th day. of Oct.,

ARTHUR J. HALL.

Witnessesz G. R. FUVIER, B. B. Hnms.

